Author: Akin Naphtal

Kenyan women will now have access to cheaper loans under a new government plan aimed at advancing financial inclusion in the country. President William Ruto announced that women will be able to borrow at a rate of six percent per year under the remodeled Women Enterprise Fund (WEP). The move is expected to reach more women and accelerate their economic empowerment. The loans will be processed instantly, unlike in the past when the process took up to 45 days and financial intermediaries have been eliminated to boost access and reduce credit costs. “We have also eliminated financial intermediaries. This will…

The Kenyan government has taken steps towards creating a conducive environment for the growth of ICT services. The principal secretary of the State Department for ICT & Digital Economy, Eng. John Tanui, stated that such an initiative will enable job creation, facilitate the ease of doing business and trade, enhance the quality of healthcare, education and delivery of public services, boost the region’s long-term competitiveness. The government aims to lay 100,000km of fiber optic cable across the country under the Digital Superhighway, install 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots, establish 1,450 digital village smart hubs and studios in the next five years.…

Qualcomm, the leading supplier of chips that connect mobile phones to wireless data networks, has announced its collaboration with several Android smartphone makers, including Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Honor, Lenovo-owned Motorola, and Nothing, to add satellite-based messaging capabilities to their devices. The move comes after Qualcomm’s earlier announcement this year that it would be adding satellite communication capabilities to its chips. The new feature will enable satellite-based communication in remote or rural regions where other telecommunication networks are not available. READ ALSO:STORVIX AB Signs Partnership Agreement with emt Distribution to Expand Reach of Sustainable and Secure Data Storage Solution Vertiv partners…

STORVIX AB, a prominent European vendor in the data storage and management sector, has entered into a partnership agreement with emt Distribution, a value-added distributor with over 28 years of experience in IT products distribution. The partnership will expand STORVIX AB’s reach and enable it to offer its market-disrupting data storage solution to a new geographical market. Luca Minoja, CEO and founder of STORVIX AB, expressed excitement about the collaboration, stating, “This partnership reflects our decision to collaborate with emt Distribution who shares our ambition to bring the state of the art of new technologies to the market. It will…

Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has announced a distribution agreement with TechAccess, a leading information technology company based in South Africa. This agreement allows TechAccess to distribute Vertiv’s integrated rack solutions portfolio designed for the enterprise sector and to support critical infrastructure systems. Pierre Havenga, managing director, Vertiv Africa, said, “This distribution partnership with TechAccess improves digital infrastructure access for customers and strengthens the market position for Vertiv and TechAccess in the Sub-Saharan African market. This partnership allows us to drive our market-leading portfolio, with its robust power and IT infrastructure solutions for white…

Web3 Delight, a hybrid event focused on eb3 technologies, is scheduled to take place on March 6 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Saudi Arabia. The event, which aims to bring together growth markets and promote Web3 technologies to drive adoption, will be attended by over 3,000 people in person and online from more than 40 countries. “Web3 Delight Riyadh is designed to engage, empower, and support a proactive, customised, collaborative, and secure advanced economy,” said Paul Lalovich, a Partner at Agile Dynamics and founder of SyntheticEquity.io. The event is aligned with Saudi Vision 2030’s ambitions to…

CyberKnight, a leading value-added distributor in the Middle East, has announced a partnership with CounterCraft, a global leader in cyber deception and threat intelligence solutions. The move aims to expand CyberKnight’s offerings in the Middle East by integrating CounterCraft’s premier product, The Platform, which detects threats early and provides real-time defence capabilities. “Attackers are demonstrating they can easily evade traditional defences, which is why we chose to partner with CounterCraft as they provide organisations with the ability to detect threat activity earlier than traditional methods and integrate the platform into existing workflows, tools, and processes. CounterCraft offers customers contextualised threat…

The Ugandan Ministry of Information, Communications Technology (ICT) and National Guidance has revealed plans to make it mandatory for ICT graduates to join the Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology (UICT) before employment. This move is intended to address the unemployment challenge faced by many graduates who lack relevant skills needed in the job market. Ms Aminah Zawedde, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT, said the government aims to transform the institute into a center of excellence that will train university and tertiary graduates in ICT skills relevant to the working environment. Similar to the Law Development…

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced the creation of a new product group focused on generative AI, which uses machine learning techniques to allow computers to create text, images, and other media that resemble human output. The move comes as technology companies and well-funded startups race to incorporate artificial intelligence models into their products. The new unit will combine several teams across Meta and be organized under Chief Product Officer Chris Cox. The team will create “creative and expressive” tools to be used within Meta’s products, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The team will explore experiences with text,…

Snapchat has launched “My AI,” a chatbot using the latest version of OpenAI’s GPT technology, that is customizable for users. My AI is an experimental feature available on Snapchat+, the company’s $3.99 per month subscription service. It will be pinned to the top of the Chat tab and can answer trivia questions, suggest birthday gift ideas, plan a hiking trip, or write a haiku. The chatbot has been trained to have a unique voice and personality that embodies the company’s values around friendship, learning, and fun, while also adhering to Snapchat’s trust and safety guidelines. According to Snapchat, My AI…